Meat Cans
by Triya
Summary: General Ramseur discovers a family of refugees but something about one of them seems familiar. Meanwhile troopers search the area for Ramseur and Commander Inada starts a limmie tournament with the rest of the troops.
1. Regroup and Recover

_Disclaimer: I don't own anything. Credit goes to George Lucas, LucasFilm, and Karen Traviss. _

Regroup and Recover

OUTER RIM PLANET: BASE CAMP, MED BAY

Headshot held out his DC-15x sniper rifle and aimed it at the ground. He ran his hand over the blaster and inspected it carefully. He ran his finger over a scratch that hadn't been on his rifle before. It was only cosmetic damage. The scratch gave his deece more character. His rifle probably had more character than he did.

"Tell me if it hurts."

"Hurts!"

"Well if you would stop twitching I could be done with this."

Headshot looked over at his two clone brothers next to him. None of them were from the same unit but it didn't matter. They were fighting the same war and they had fought in battle next to each other. They were good as any brother from the same batch.

Med was trying to pick out a piece of transparisteel in Buzz's arm. Buzz twitched involuntarily and Med held Buzz's arm down tighter. Med was a patient man but even he could be tested from time to time. Veer, a clone from the same unit as Buzz, stood behind the crates that had been pulled together to make their makeshift medical bay.

"He has a twitch… he got a little too close to some live rounds as kid on Kamino during a drill. He's trying to stay still," Veer explained as he rubbed his eyes. He looked exhausted but had decided to stay with Buzz and make sure he was properly taken care of. Med loosened his grip on Buzz's arm and found more patience.

Headshot looked back at his rifle and lifted it up and aimed up at the sky. It had been hours since the last battle droids had been shot down. They had more or less won, but the battle still raged on just outside the planet's atmosphere. Headshot aimed up at a Separatist vessel and squinted and let his finger rest on the trigger. They were all stuck here until the fighting ended. He couldn't really tell which side was winning from here. Headshot couldn't even really tell if anything was happening. He did know that they were stuck here doing nothing until someone won.

"Think you can hit it?" Veer asked walking over to Headshot. He sat down on the crate Headshot was sitting on and tried to get comfortable. Buzz stared at his wound and watched Med slowly pull the transparisteel out. It helped him concentrate on keeping still. Headshot lowered his rifle but still looked up at the sky.

"Too far away and it wouldn't be able to penetrate the ship's exterior," Headshot said in a flat and serious voice. He raised an eyebrow and looked at Veer. Headshot thought it was a dumb question. Veer gave one last attempt to see if he could get his plates to bend the way he wanted them too. He sighed and gave up. The thought that Veer was trying to make conversation didn't enter Headshot's mind.

"At least we have some down time. Though I feel bad about the mess they're in up there," Veer said leaning back and looking up at the battle. Headshot looked back up at it again.

"The channel says they've got it under control," Headshot said showing a rare optimistic opinion. After all he'd been through today and making it out in one place he felt a little more hopefully than usual. Veer nodded and then looked back over at Buzz who was getting his arm bandaged up by Med.

"You're shiny and new again," Med told Buzz after fixing his arm. Buzz twitched. Med gave the clone an odd look briefly before shaking his head.

"Thanks Med," he said as he stood up. Veer eased himself up and walked over to Buzz. Veer was ready to make some sort of bed and fall asleep on it. The city they had made their base camp in had been completely demolished but there were still some things that could be salvaged. Maybe he'd come across a bedding store.

"Come on Buzz, let's get some rest," Veer said putting his hand on his brother's shoulder. Headshot stood up as well. During the fight he had been separated from his unit. He ran into Buzz and Veer and the three of them stuck together till the end of the fighting. It was a little weird to finally part ways with them. Would he ever see them again?

Veer hit Headshot's chest plate with his glove.

"Stay alive out there," he told him with a smile. Headshot nodded his head and looked at Veer and Buzz.

"You too ner vode," Headshot said as he watched them leave. He should probably find his brothers in his own unit. Next to him, Med washed off his medical instruments.

"And on to the next… if you're sticking around make yourself useful," Med told Headshot as he looked over his shoulder at him. He moved over to the next clone, who was laying down on the ground on a tarp. Med bent over the unconscious man and started to take off the bandage on his head. Headshot focused on the blue paint on the trooper's arm and walked closer to get a better look.

"You two are from the same unit. Do you know him?" Med asked Headshot as he looked up at him briefly. It was hard to tell if he knew the clone for sure, but he had a feeling he didn't. Headshot noticed the man from his unit had a small scar down the middle of his chin. He didn't recognize anyone with a scar like that.

"No… is he all right?" Headshot asked.

"He should be fine. It was just a nasty cut, see," Med said taking the bandage off and leaned forward a little as he examined it. Headshot turned away and acted like something had distracted him. He needed to get out of the med bay area.

"I better go… take good care of him, Med," Headshot said. He made a note in his head to remember the scar on the man's chin. It wasn't for any reason other than he wanted to make sure his brother made it okay despite not knowing the man. Med nodded as he started to clean out the wound again. Headshot carried his rifle by his side and walked through the dust-covered paths that had been made.

The Base Camp was pretty organized and as clean as you could get for a war zone. The things they could do when there was nothing to do. A few clones carried out odd jobs but most stood or sat around with their helmets off and talked. His eyes scanned the groups of clones. Most had blue or red markings on their white armor. There was occasionally a clone with yellow markings, like Med's, here and there. For some reason he felt uncomfortable looking at the troopers in yellow too long. He looked away and over at a group of troopers in blue and white and headed towards them. One noticed him coming in the distance and quickly turned to face him. Headshot felt the soreness in his muscles disappear and a smiled formed on his face.

"SHOTY!" The clone yelled out and opened up his arms to him. Headshot frowned when he heard his stupid nickname Champ called him. It didn't seem to occur to anyone that maybe Headshot didn't like being referred to as 'Shoty' for obvious reasons.

As he joined the group of clones they quickly started beating his armor and head butting him.

"We were just about to head out and check out the damages and look for our AWOL General," Sprocket told Headshot.

"He's not AWOL, Sprocket. His fighter got shot down," Tak corrected him. Sprocket shrugged. He had nothing against General Ramseur, but the man seemed to have some sort of agenda, if that was even possible. Jedi didn't get out much. They started to walk away from the camp and through debris. Champ stopped for a moment and picked up part of a wrecked speeder. Clack stopped next to him and slapped him on the shoulder.

"If you can find the rest of the parts I'll help you put it together," he joked and then continued walking. Champ dropped the part and kept on walking. A smile crept back on Headshot's mouth. Nothing was better than being with his brothers.

COMMERCIAL DISTRICT

Tsun Ga'ni wandered around the debris of a clothing shop. It had taken a big enough hit to wipe out the front of the shop but not enough to obliterate the back room. Commander Muro stood watching her rummaging through the boxes of unopened and unmarked garments. What his general was doing was technically illegal, but he wasn't planning on interfering with her looting.

The battle had been a long and nasty clean up job. Jedi Master Yaveen Lawris was dead and had left her Padawan Clayne Ves'len to take charge of their dwindling unit. General Ga'ni and himself had been called for help and rushed over to help finish where the other Master had left off. They hadn't been the only ones that had come to help. General Ramseur and his men came after they did and helped secure the city. However, General Ramseur's fighter had been shot down near the end of the battle. No one had received any word from the Jedi General since.

"Gray or green?" she said standing up holding a scarf in each hand. Muro stared at the two scarves. This was not something he had been flashed trained for. There were a lot of things he hadn't been trained for. Tsun, was definitely one of them. She was a peculiar female and an even more peculiar Jedi. Sennia, Tsun's Padawan, had attempted to explain girls to him on several occasions. Apparently, a male opinion on clothing wasn't taken in to much consideration. A woman usually had already made up her mind before asking a man and they were looking for reassurance in their choice even if the male sincerely disagreed. Knowing this, he didn't bother giving it much thought.

"Gray," he told her.

"Then you can take the gray and I'll take the green," she told him handing the gray scarf to him. Tsun might have been okay with looting but Muro wasn't too thrilled about it. Besides, when would he need a scarf?

"Why don't you take both? If it's not food or armaments I don't need it," he told her. Tsun tossed it so it landed around his neck and shoulders. He took if off and felt the soft fabric on the back of his neck. He put down his rifle and took off his glove to get a better feel of it. He'd never felt anything that soft. He folded it up in his hands and pressed it together to see how compact it could be. It hardly weighed anything and it seemed easy enough to stuff it anywhere. But it was stealing…

"The city is completely abandon and most of it can't be salvaged or repaired. Nobody's going to miss that scarf. Take it. It's a gift from me," Tsun said as she dug around in another box. As Muro wrapped the scarf around his neck in various ways while Tsun wasn't watching. He doubted he'd ever wear it but found himself becoming as attached to it as his armor and his rifle.

BASE CAMP

"_I haven't gotten any messages from Master Ramseur yet. He's all right though," Lyda told Master Ga'ni after she concentrated her feelings on her Master. Tsun stood with her arms crossed and her Twi'lek Padawan, Sennia, at her side._

"_Good. We'll wait for him to rejoin us," Tsun replied. Lyda bit her lip as she watched Tsun turn to Sennia._

"_I can go out and look for him," she offered quickly. Tsun paused and then looked over her shoulder at her. Lyda looked at the angular Kiffar's face and at the tattoo she had below her left eye._

"_No, you'll stay here with your commlink and let me know if Ramseur's situation changes."_

"_But Master, I know I can find him," Lyda pleaded. Tsun turned the rest of her body towards Lyda. Sennia's eyes looked back and forth between her Master and Lyda._

"_I can come back later, Master," she told Tsun, but she was completely ignored. _

"_Your Master is perfectly capable finding his way back here by himself. I'd rather have a lost Master than that and a lost Padawan," Tsun told her. Lyda balled up her fists. _

"_I wouldn't get lost Master."_

"_Lyda, I don't want to take any unnecessary chances. My orders are final," Tsun said before she walked past Lyda. The forgotten Sennia watched her Master leave and the looked at Lyda and walked towards her._

"_She's only looking out for you…" Sennia explained. Lyda stared at the ground and said nothing. The purple Twi'lek put her hand gently on Lyda's shoulder._

"_I'd be worried too if my Master was lost," she said sympathizing with the younger Padawan. Lyda's shoulders dropped a little and she loosened her fists._

"_I'm not worried… I'm just frustrated that I'm stuck doing nothing," Lyda complained before she stalked away from Sennia._

Lyda sat on a destroyed wall and stared down at her commlink on the ground. She spun it around with the force and wondered what Master Ramseur was up to. She knew he wasn't dead, but he hadn't contacted anyone.

She stopped spinning her com around and stretched out her legs so they were straight and leaned back a little. She looked at her legs and leaned forward with a quizzical expression. They looked longer than she remember. Maybe they had grown? Lyda's blonde bangs flopped in front of her eyes. Her hair certainly had. She blew them out of her face and looked up at the landscape.

Master Ramseur was out there somewhere. He felt closer than he probably was, but close enough that she thought she could find him herself.

Lyda looked away from the horizon and at the two other people who shared the same area outside of camp with her. Clayne sat meditating on the ground and a yellow striped trooper stood not too far away from him. They'd both in the same position of hours. Lyda focused on Clayne. Considering he'd lost his Master less than 24 hours ago she was surprised he wasn't a complete wreck. Clayne was nearing Knighthood though. If this whole experience hadn't matured him enough for the council to consider him a Jedi Knight then Lyda had no idea or any hope of becoming one herself. He still went by Padawan, but he was a Knight by Lyda's standards.

Lyda looked at the trooper who stood off to the side of Clayne. It was hard to tell if he was looking at Clayne or not because he had his helmet on, but Lyda could sense he was at least keeping a watch over him. The trooper felt extremely guilty and worthless. Usually Lyda was the first to come running to help someone out but she was keeping her distance on this one. Everything about the situation was uncomfortable to her. Even just looking at them made her want to get up and leave.

She reached out over commlink and brought it up to her hand and caught it. She walked over to the clearer area of the city where they had set up a base camp. Lyda needed something to do. There had to be something to do. She'd take any lousy and tedious job at this point. Commander Fly was busy making sure his injured men were being taken care of and that he had search parties looking for Ramseur. Tsun told Fly not to be too concerned about Guy, but he was more determined to find him than anyone. At least someone was. Lyda walked over to Fly and waited for him to finish giving out orders to his men.

"Commander Fly, is there anything I can do?" she asked. He put his hand on her shoulder and looked down at her. His chin was scruffier than usual but he looked alert and in control.

"Stay close. If you sense anything wrong with Master Ramseur I need you here to tell me," Commander Fly told Lyda. He had a way with words that made doing nothing seem important. Lyda was use to getting similar lines like that. She was too hasty as Ramseur often told her. It probably wouldn't hurt for her Master to be a little hasty once in awhile. It was taking him forever to regroup. She trailed behind Fly as he walked off to check on something. Maybe he'd think of something she could do while she waited.

OUTSIDE BASE CAMP

Sprocket lay on his back and looked closely at the wiring on the back of a fizzade machine. The machine stood out like a sore thumb in piles of durasteel and dust. He rewired and the machine lit up back to life.

"Niiiiice Sprock. Anybody got any creds?" Champ asked his trooper brothers behind him. The three clones looked at each other and the back at Champ.

"You don't need credits with me boys," Sprock said as he began to rewire the machine so it didn't need credits to vend.

"Can't we just break it open?" Headshot asked.

"And chance ruining all the drinks inside?" Champ replied.

"It's not like there's a det strapped to it," Headshot muttered.

"Let Sprock have his fun," Clack said defending their geeky brother. Tak stood silently with his hand on his hips and tapped his boot on the ground.

"What happened to finding the General?" Tak asked.

"When we find him he'll be thirsty," Clack explained to Tak.

"This is a waste of time… fizzade only makes you thirstier and it's probably the last thing anyone should be consuming," Tak told them even though they all knew that already.

"This fizzade machine is a lone survivor, a man left and forgotten. But he kept doing his job. We're going to honor him," Clack told Tak. Clack strolled up to the vending machine. He had seen it first so he was getting first dibs. Champ and Headshot looked at the machine in a new light. Tak also looked at the machine, with a raised eyebrow.

"What a di'kut," Tak said. There was a spark and Sprocket cursed and hit the machine with his fist.

"There!" He slid out from behind the machine and leaned against it as he pressed a button. The machine inner workings buzzed and hissed and a canned fizzade came out. Clack bent down and picked it up. To Clack the little victories were just as good as the big ones.

"They don't teach you that in flash training," he said admiring Sprocket's handiwork as he got another drink. Clack took his helmet off and the rest followed. Even though Tak had been against it, he gladly accepted one, and then another for the General. They all decide to take an extra one each for the General.

Tak looked off in the direction Ramseur's fighter ship had crashed. The General had decided to give air support despite piloting not being one of his stronger points. It wasn't a brilliant decision on his part considering that he had been shot down and crashed kilometers away from the battle zone.

Tak recalled Ramseur's fighter swooping down and getting him and his brother out of a nasty situation. It was imperative that the Jedi Master be found, but even more so to Tak. He didn't have any force abilities, but he just knew that General Ramseur was out there and alive. They all knew that.


	2. Touchy Subject

_Author's Note: Sorry it took awhile to get the next chapter up. I'm pretty busy but I can always find a little time to write. And thank you to those of you who added this to your story alert! Another thanks to Toft, she edits my chapters._

It's a Touchy Subject

DESTROYED REPUBLIC OUTPOST: BUNKER

"I know we've all had our share of misfortunes… but we have to focus on the positive. The fighter didn't crash too far from here. Maybe the damage wasn't too bad. We can use it to get help," a man in a ripped and singed business suit stood in the center of the civilians that had been left behind.

"Why can't we just approach the side that won and ask for help?" a young man asked as he stood up.

"Who would that be? The Republic or the Separatists? We don't even know who defeated the other," A brunette woman asked him. The businessman looked around at the dirty and scratched faces of the people around him.

"We could send someone to find out," he answered her.

"What if it's the Republic? I'd rather rot here than side with them," a broad and stubborn looking man said brashly.

"Then rot! It's your fault our home was destroyed!" the brunette woman shouted at him. She stood up from her seat and headed straight for the broad man. He stood up quickly from his chair and knocked it over. Before the two could get to each other the other refugees around them held them back. The room erupted with shouts from all sides of the room. The businessman did his best to get it back under control.

A light brown haired woman in her twenties said next to a man with darker hair who was a couple years younger than her. He held his bandaged head in his right hand and shut his eyes tightly. She put her hand on the man's left wrist that was wrapped in up in the rag.

"Come on, let's go," she told him. She stood and helped him stand up. They slipped out of the bunker relatively unnoticed and walked up the stairs to the ground level. The man and the woman walked in silence down along a path lined with huts made out of the wreckage. They came to a makeshift hut in a shallow crater. The woman put her hand on the back of her brother's to make sure he didn't hit his head on the low entrance to the hut. She sighed and took her coat off.

"We're back," she announced. An older woman hurried to the front of the hut and kissed the woman on the cheek and then reached up and put her hands on the man's shoulders.

"Why don't you lay down Jon, super will be ready in a few minutes," she told him.

"I'm fine…" he told her.

"Then just sit at the table and wait till we eat," she told him leading him to the rickety table near the fire. The younger woman brought a pitcher of water to the table and sat down. She took Jon's cup and poured water in it and offered it to him.

"How was the meeting?" the older woman asked her as she stirred a pot of bland stew.

"Started out fine and then they were at each others throats. No one's willing to put their differences aside to get off this place," She told her. She opened her mouth to go on but stopped. Jon had his hands around his cup of water and watched the ripples while the older woman tried to thicken the stew.

"Well you know how I feel about politics, Sabine."

"I know mother," the light brown haired woman said as she poured water into her own cup.

"As long as you have your family and your things you don't care who's in charge," she said in a dull and tired tone. The woman took the pot off of the fire and turned around to face the table.

"I have my daughter, my son, and enough things to hold us over," She gave a small smile and served the stew. Sabine put her cup down softly on the table and looked at Jon who hadn't moved or said much since they got back. He looked down at the food that had been put in front of him and said a soft thank you. Sabine sighed softly to herself and looked away from him.

BASE CAMP

"This is the perimeter I have my men searching. Should I expand it?" Commander Kilik held a small hologram of the city in its former glory. He had his helmet tucked under his other arm. The map was completely inaccurate now but it gave them a general idea of where things were. Tsun crossed her right arm over her left and tapped her fingers. The robotic inner workings of her right arm clicked away as she thought. Aran stared at the hologram and then through it at Tsun. Muro pointed over to the north of the city outside of Kilik's perimeter.

"We should focus on the north where General Ramseur's fighter crashed," He suggested. Aran stared at the general location where Muro had pointed and shifted his weight.

"General, our outpost to the north was attacked by Separatist sympathizers weeks ago. We lost everyone stationed at that outpost. We gathered intelligence that the civilians that hadn't been evacuated took shelter in that area. I don't know if they're friendly or not," Aran told them. Tsun looked up from the hologram and over at Aran.

"Separatists sympathizers? Amongst the refugees?" she asked him. He nodded to her.

"Intel told us the city was divided between the Republic and the Separatists," Aran told the General. Tsun narrowed her eyes in thought. She was silent for a moment and then opened her eyes up more and focused on Aran.

"Commander Aran, I'd like you to tell me what exactly happened here up till when we arrived," she ordered him. Aran nodded slowly. As much as he hated to relive everything, it was imperative that the General know what happened.

"Master Lawris was stationed here because of the large number of Separatists in the area. It was estimated that nearly half the population sided with the Republic while the others were in support of the Separatists. We were ordered to protect the people of the Republic and keep the city under control," Aran said. Tsun nodded. Kilik and Muro stood a bit stiffly and listened as well.

"It was quiet until the Separatists bombed the city center… and then our northern outpost," Aran paused a moment. Tsun lowered her arms slowly to her sides. She felt a swirl of sadness and failure welled up in Aran.

"We began evacuating the Civilians as soon as a Separatist Fleet was heading towards us. We thought they had all been evacuated but some had ignored the evacuation or refused to leave. General Lawris attempted to round up the stranglers against their will but when the droid army arrived she focused our forces on defending the city," Aran told her.

"_I say this every time and I'm gonna say it again. Quantity over quality in these situations."_

"_That doesn't help us Gov," Aran said to him. Jedi Padawan Clayne sat with his back against a partly destroyed wall in between his two clone commanders. He looked up expecting something to happen and dug his heels into the ground. Gov and Aran shrugged their shoulders and lowered their heads just before the tank on the other side of the wall fired at them. The wall shook but stayed strong. _

"_I don't know about that-" Clayne ducked down a little bit as the tank fired again. This time the wall cracked and debris fell down on them._

"_You're both are much better company," Clayne told them as he flung the falling debris away from them._

"_Compared to droids anyone is," Gov said. Clayne said nothing and adjusted so he was crouched down o the balls of his feet. Gov and Aran knelt next to him and waited for his lead. _

"_We're taking out his tank," he said in a direct and determined tone. Clayne took out his lightsaber and activated it. He waited a moment and then jumped away from the wall and towards the tank. Aran and Gov stood behind the wall and gave him cover fire. Clayne leaped around dodging blaster fire. _

"_I'm glad he's on our side," Gov said to Aran on their private channel._

"_Certainly can't mass produce Jedi- QUALITY, ner vod. Quality," Aran replied as he fired at a droid aiming at Clayne._

"_Yes you can."_

"_You don't know that, no one's done it before."_

"_Doesn't mean they can't."_

"_But just think of it hypothetically. Millions and millions of clones with force abilities. They're a little more complicated and harder to control. Why do you think the Order has strict rules?"_

"_Just dumb them down a little and make them extremely loyal. They did it with us," Gov answered as he went back and forth from dodging blaster fire and firing back with Aran. _

"_I don't think you're that dumb, ner vod.."_

"_Thank you Aran, nice shot by the way."_

"_Just doing what my daddy taught me," Aran said. Clayne's long hair and robe flapped around in the air as he began attacking the tank. The droid piloting the tank frantically ordered for someone to get him. _

"_How does he do that in those clothes?" Gov asked._

"_No idea. If I was Master Yoda I'd tell everyone to wear something more practical." Aran voiced his opinion._

"_Like plastoid armor?"_

"_Nah, Beskar."_

"_Oh I like that," Gov aimed carefully and shot off the head of the droid pilot. The droid flailed one last time and then fell forward._

"_Ha ha! I love it when they flail!" Gov said taking a brief moment to celebrate. Aran watched Clayne wreaking havoc on the tank and the droids surrounding it. He looked over and noticed a few droids focused on them. They lifted their rifles and fired._

"_Gov!" Aran ducked and pulled his brother down with him. He heard a loud shot and saw his brother's head jerk to the side. He fell down on his back and groaned._

"_Commander! Gov's been shot!" Aran shouted for Clayne. He looked back at his brother's helmet. The front of it was charred and the visor was cracked. Gov dropped his rifle and moved his hands to pop his helmet off. Aran helped him pull it off._

_Gov dropped it to his side. His face was covered in blood. Clayne rushed back over to his commanders. The Padawan cringed at the amount of blood coming from his nose. Clayne picked up Gov's helmet and looked at the cracked visor._

"_Looks like your helmet took most of the hit," Clayne said. Aran took out some bacta spray and took a moment to sort himself out and remember his first aid training._

"_Thanks helmet… FIERFEK ARAN!" Gov said as Aran applied bacta on his wound and Gov bit his cheek and tried not to scream too loudly. Clayne stood up and deflected the blaster shots back at the battle droids._

"_It's for your own good!" Aran said a bit defensively. Clayne squatted back down by the two clones._

"_Let's head back, we've done what we came out here to do," Clayne said. Gov grabbed his broke helmet before Aran helped him stand up. Clayne looked at the remnants of the wall and focused on it. The wall started to tilt and fall towards the remaining droids. The battledroids looked over and started firing at the wall before being crushed by it._

"_Put your helmet back on," Aran told his brother. Gov bent down and picked up his rifle._

"_No. I don't want to have to take my helmet off again and have my nose go off with it," Gov answered. They all walked back in the direction of the other troopers. Clayne was quiet as he kept a sense of the area around them._

"_You'll lose your head."_

"_I'd rather be headless than just nose-less, thank you."_

"_Gov, you can't survive without a head. You can survive without a nose."_

"_It's my choice, Aran. And I choose not to be a nose-less clone during my short life," Gov replied with a wet sniff. Clayne's shoulders went rigid and he bent over and clutching his chest. Aran and Gov froze and looked back at the boy. His face looked pained and his knuckles had turned white._

"_Commander, is everything all right?" Aran asked. Clayne looked up past the two men in front of him and started running in off in a different direction. Aran and Gov looked at each other before taking off after Clayne._

"_What's gotten to him?" Gov asked._

"_No idea… I have a bad feeling though," Aran said. He looked ahead of Clayne and saw a trooper pulling himself out of a hole in the ground. Not too far away the trooper's location it looked like the ground had collapsed. It snapped all in to place. Aran wasn't quite sure about the details, but Master Yaveen Lawris had gone to deactivate detonators that the separatists had set up around the city in the catacombs. Commander Jiro and Trooper Zero had going with her. He saw the trooper, where was Lawris and Jiro?_

_Zero stood up and looked over at Clayne running towards him. The padawan grabbed the shoulders of the trooper and shook him._

"_WHERE'S MASTER LAWRIS? WHERE IS SHE?!" he demanded. Gov and Aran sped up. The trooper's armored plates rattled as Clayne shook him._

"_We were in the catacombs… there was… there was an explosion above an-and the walls start to cave in… the general… she pushed me out of the way…" the trooper said. Clayne let go of Zero and walked away from him and said nothing. Zero fell down to his knees after Clayne let go of him. Aran and Gov were both too afraid to move or speak._

_Clayne dropped his head for a moment and then lifted it up and took out his commlink._

"_This is Padawan Clayne Ves'len. Master Yaveen Lawris is dead. We desperately need reinforcements on…" Aran looked away from Clayne and at the trooper knelt down on the ground. Zero slowly pulled off his helmet and grimaced as he rested his forehead on his helmet. His body shook as he quietly wept._

"We lost General Lawris and Commander Jiro. They were in the catacombs under the city trying to deactivate detonators the Separatists set up all around the city. The detonators were disabled but there was an explosion above ground and the tunnel collapsed. A trooper survived. He told me that General Lawris forced him out of the way and saved him. Commander Jiro attempted to pull Lawris out but it was too late. The ceiling collapsed on both of them," Aran said quickly. He looked around and saw that Muro stared straight at him. He looked almost terrified. Muro was the only one who wasn't trying to rise above the situation and pat Aran on the back and say it was okay.

"Thank you Aran, I'm sorry, it must have been hard for you," Tsun said putting her hand on his shoulder briefly. Aran suddenly wanted to leave. His men were tired; Tsun and the other commanders could deal with the missing Jedi Master and the possible threat of separatist refugees. Tsun quickly retracted hand as if Aran's shoulder had suddenly caught fire.

"You can go, Commander. We'll figure out what to do from here," she told him. Aran saluted her and the others then relaxed. He walked away to his and Commander Gov's tent and collapsed on a chair inside. Gov had his helmet off and on a table in front of him. He sniffed and wiggled his nose.

"How was it?" he asked Aran. Gov had nominated Aran to go in place of Jiro because of his nose. Aran also had seemed to step up to the plate more eagerly than Gov had.

"Uncomfortable and felt longer than it actually was. How's your nose and your helmet?" Aran looked at the long charred scratch running across Gov's helmet. Gov sniffed again and messed with the wiring in his helmet.

"I want to scratch my nose but I can't or I'll open the cut and bleed everywhere. And my helmet's out of commission for the moment," Gov took out his datapad and connected it to his helmet. The plastoid armor was bust now, but his head was still on and the intel hadn't been damaged.

"Helmets are easy to replace. Heads aren't," Aran slowly lifted his legs up on the table and leaned back in his chair.

"This one was mine though. It was a good helmet," Gov said speaking fondly of it. Aran looked up at the ceiling of the tent. If Gov wanted to, he could go out in the debris and find a helmet still intact. He could pick from one with yellow, red, or blue markings. Some were brighter and cleaner than others.

"It's just a helmet, Gov. It's expendable," Aran told him.

REFUGEE HUT

"_I saw you and your sister duck out once the meeting got interesting," the man in the tattered business suit said to Jon. The businessman, Lorens, searched through crates filled with armaments and other supplies that had survived the explosion in the outpost. Jon stood and watched the man shove the crate full of artillery away._

"_I swear I saw food rations somewhere… I'll find them for you," Lorens said. Jon looked back over at him._

"_What are you going to do with all the artillery?" Jon asked Lorens. He stopped digging through a crate and looked back at him for a brief moment._

"_Lock it away. The last thing desperate people need are blasters," he told him. Jon took in a deep breath and fidgeted a little._

"_We could use them for protection," he explained. Lorens kept on looking for the food rations._

"_How's your head feeling? Your sister said you were having a hard time remembering things," He asked Jon. Did Lorens think he was crazy and unstable?_

"_You don't have to give me a charged weapon if it makes you feel more comfortable. If you look like you know what you're doing you never have to actually fire your weapon," Jon answered. The man took out a box of rations and turned to look at Jon. The businessman looked a little surprised and impressed. _

"_Head's feeling better I suppose," he said handing him the food rations._

"_Still can't remember a thing."_

"_All right Jon, I know you have a sister and an elderly mother to look after. I'll give you an uncharged weapon but if anyone asks, you found it in the debris yourself," Lorens said pointing at Jon making an emphasis. Jon nodded. Lorens motioned him to follow him into what was left of the outpost. They walked down the stairs to the bunker where there had been a meeting just a few hours ago. A few chairs were overturned but other than that there was no evidence of a fight._

"_Here. Now how do I figure out if it's charged or not?" Lorens said holding a GAR issued blaster awkwardly in his hands. Jon looked at the way he was holding it and felt his head start to hurt again. Lorens shifted his hands and into a more comfortable grip. He checked the power cell to see if it was charged. There a faint bar of light that flickered and then went out quickly. Lorens handed it over to Jon._

"_Be careful and take care of your family," he told him. _

"Who put Lorens in charge?" Sabine exclaimed. She was completely against her brother having a blaster even if it was for protection. She paced around the small kitchen and into the bedroom and back. Breya, their mother, shook her head and unwrapped the bandage around Jon's head. He tried not to Sabine's reaction to heart. He just did what he thought was right. He looked over at the rifle that stood up next to the door to the outside.

"It's not loaded…" Jon said defensively. Breya huffed and set the old bandage in front of Jon on the table. It wasn't as bloody as the one before.

"Sabine, you're a grown woman, stop acting like a child. It's not charged and personally I don't mind having a sense of security out here," Breya told her daughter. Sabine stopped and turned to look at her mother.

"Don't take his side because he's hurt," Sabine crossed her arms. Breya lowered her chin and gave her a bit of a warning look. Jon flinched as his mother cleaned out the wound on the side of his head. Sabine sat down at the table in with a defeated expression.

"Fine. But I don't want him touching it. Not until he can remember something from at least a month ago," Sabine said. Breya focused on wrapping Jon's head up again. He looked passed Sabine and out the window. It was dark outside now and he couldn't really make anything out clearly.

"I don't need memories to pretend how to use a blaster," he told her. Sabine and Breya were both quiet. Jon felt his head hurting again. They had looked after him since he could remember. As long as he could remember happened to be around a week. Still, he wanted to do something, something for them.

"I'm sorry… I just want to help," he told them. Sabine's face softened and she let out a deep breath through her nose. Breya finished wrapping his head and secured it before walking around the table and taking the old bandages. Jon waited for someone to say anything. When no one had, he quietly excused himself to step outside for some fresh air.

Jon kept his hand on the open door frame and supported himself a little. He took in a deep breath and let it go. He cared about Sabine and Breya but he just felt so uncomfortable and out of place because of his lack of memory. He wished he could remember something big or small about them. It must be hard on them to see him like this. Jon looked out at the fields that were flattened and covered in bits and parts of buildings that weren't around anymore. His heart jumped a moment as he saw something move. He stayed still as he saw a human figure slowly approaching. It could just be a refugee wandering back towards the makeshift huts but Jon didn't want to take any chances. He took a step back inside and grabbed the blaster.

"Jon!" Breya exclaimed. Sabine was on her feet and over by the door in a second. He put his finger to his lips.

"I see someone. Stay here and stay low," he told them. Sabine froze but her eyes were wildly moving trying to see what was outside. Jon got down and crept behind piles of debris that had been pushed aside to make a path up and down the huts.

The person got closer. Jon could tell it was male by the way he walked and carried himself. Jon positioned his rifle and aimed it at the man. He didn't seemed threatened by the person, but he wasn't going to give him the benefit of the doubt.

The man was so close now that in the dark Jon could make out that he was a tall, angular and dressed in muted robes. He noticed a lighter streak of hair on his head. The man was very peculiar looking. For some reason Jon felt he knew that he was being watched. The man turned his head over in Jon's direction. He felt his hands ease up a little and his heart slow down.

"I'm not here to hurt you, I just want to help," the man called out in a calm and confident voice. Jon lowered the rifle and stood up. The man turned to face him and froze.

"What's your number?" the man asked him. Jon secured his grip a little more on the rifle.

"Number?" he asked the man. Sabine ran over to Jon and hit him on the shoulder.

"Don't put it down, keep it aimed at him!" she muttered to him. Jon did as he was told. The mysterious man quickly put his arms up.

"Who are you and what do you want with us?" Sabine demanded from the man.

"I'm Jedi Master Guy Ramseur. My fighter crashed in a field not to far from here. I was on my way back to my men when I noticed your… establishment. I can help you get off the planet," he explained.

"If you're a Jedi… show me your lightsaber," she told him. Guy kept one hand up and lowered the other to his belt. He took out his lightsaber and held it out so she could see it.

"Put it on the ground and push it over to me," she ordered. Ramseur was a little reluctant. He bent down slowly and placed it on the ground. He used his boot and the force to push the lightsaber over. It stopped a few feet in front of Sabine and Jon. She walked forward and picked it up and turned it over in her hands. She looked up at Guy and studied him for a moment.

"Come inside… Jon, you can lower your weapon," Sabine walked passed Jon and headed back to the hut. The Jedi followed and walked alongside Jon. He felt the Jedi examining his facial features closely.


	3. Sore Losers

_Author's note: This took forever to get up. It feels good that it finally came together. And thank you Keeper-of-the-Cheese for your reviews!_

SORE LOSERS

**Refugee Hut: North Of Base Camp**

_A shadow glided above Jedi Master Ramseur and circled around him. He watched it pass through the sun with his dingy gray eyes. The vulture flapped its wings and lifted up higher in the air. It was just a vulture and not a vulture droid, but he didn't appreciate the bird's sick predator game. It was large, but nothing he couldn't handle if it did decide to swoop down at him. Today had been the most humbling day in a long time for Guy Ramseur. A life form of lower intelligence taunting him did not make him feel any better about his situation._

"_I thought I was clever too, __**bird**__. You're lucky you're a natural born flyer. I'm certainly not," Guy looked over his shoulder at the fence he had just passed. A section of the fence had been completely taken out. He had been responsible when he had been trying to land his fighter._

_Guy kept on walking and took out his broken commlink. He took off the back and fiddled with the insides a little. It was pretty fried on the inside, but it wasn't past repair. Guy just didn't have anything on him to repair it with. He wasn't too concerned about his loss of communication with is comrades. His senses told him that the battle was over and for the most part everyone was in good shape. There were things Guy couldn't sense, but he could easily assume them. His Padawan was probably restless and General Tsun Ga'ni was silently stressing out about being in charge of everything. He had known Tsun Ga'ni since they were aspiring younglings. It was nice to work with a General that he had knew but unfortunately that meant she also had known him for a long time. _

"_She's probably getting some sort of kick out of me crashing my fighter into the ground and walking back the rest of the way… not that I need a rescue party or anything. It's just the thought that counts," Guy mumbled to himself as he heard a brief moment of static on his commlink. He quickly put it closer to his face to talk but lost any sort of channel as soon as he got it. He cussed under his breath and then saw the large shadow pass over him again. Guy looked up at the sky._

"_I bet you taste good too," he said. The vulture squawked and lifted itself back up in the air again. The perimeter of the bird's circles grew larger and then the bird flew off in another direction. Guy watched it fly towards the outskirt of the city that hadn't been completely destroyed. He stopped walking in the direction of where the battle had ended and turned toward the direction where the vulture had flown. Something was telling him to go that way. There was no mystery as to what was telling him, being a Jedi and all, but it was still strange. What could possibly be in that direction? Unable to refuse the calling, Guy shrugged and headed in the direction the vulture had gone._

And that was how Guy ended up at a refugee family's table. He looked at Jon and then back at Sabine. She hadn't taken her eyes off of him. He highly doubted it was because she was infatuated with him. Sabine had light brown hair and her 'brother' had dark brown hair. She was fair, and he was much darker. She looked like the girl next door, and he looked like Jango Fett. Had he gone mad, or were they delusional? And was he a prisoner or a guest here?

"Here, you must be dying of thirst," Breya, the mother of two children who looked nothing like each other, put down a glass of water for him. She smiled sweetly when he thanked her. She was a kind woman, but something about her imprint in the force was twisted and wrapped. She'd gone through a lot in a short amount of time and a screw had come loose in the process. He looked back at Sabine. She had gone through a lot as well, but seemed to be coping with it. She was incredibly upset about something, but that was to be expected. She had lost her home and was stranded here.

"I can't contact anyone now, my com's broken but it's an easy fix. I'm sure if I salvage the area I'll be able to find something to fix it with," Guy explained to her.

"Then you'll help us get off of this planet?" she asked.

"Yes."

"You know, a few people here sided with the separatists. If they found out there was a Jedi here… I'm not sure how they would react," Sabine threatened him.

"You have my word, although it may take some time. As far as I know, the Republic is still engaged in battle above us. I assure you, as soon as they've overcome the separatists the first thing they'll do is send a transport for you and the rest of the survivors," he told her.

"Even the ones who sided against the Republic?" she asked. Guy looked her in the eye. He got the feeling that she wasn't the Republic's biggest supporter.

"I'll make sure everyone who wants the Republic's help gets it. I promise," he told her. Sabine seemed to soften up a bit and Guy relaxed a little. He had started to wonder if it had been such a great idea to come here. While Sabine was pretty, he had a feeling that the force had led him to the man named 'Jon.'

**The Edge Of Base Camp**

"_WHERE'S MASTER LAWRIS? WHERE IS SHE?!"_

"Sir? Commander? … Commander Ves'len?"

Clayne's eyes twitched before he opened them. He heard someone moving behind him and turned his head to look.

"Commander Ves'len. I'm sorry to interrupt you. General Ga'ni wants everyone return to camp," a clone with yellow streaks on his armor said. Clayne stood up and adjusted his cloak.

"It's all right Zero. It's getting late, I should be getting back… we should," Clayne corrected himself. The clone trooper stood behind him and seemed to shift his weight a little. There was something different about Zero lying underneath his brooding feelings of failure and worthlessness. They were hard to miss, even for someone who wasn't force sensitive. Jedi didn't sacrifice themselves for one expendable trooper. His master was the exception.

Clayne had stopped asking himeself why Zero, why a single insignificant trooper. It wasn't what his Master would have wanted him to think. Things happened for a reason. Master Lawris was meant to die and Zero was meant to live. It was times like these that Clayne questioned the force. He was getting through it though. Mediation cured all his ailments. Clayne turned sideways to finish adjusting his cloak and to look at Zero.

"How are you feeling?" he asked Zero. He already had an idea of how he felt.

"Fine sir… just fine,' he answered.

"Zero… It was wrong of me to get so upset at you earlier. I'm not always as strong as I'd liked to be… and I apologize for my behavior," Clayne frowned and walked over to the trooper and put his hand on the man's shoulder.

"Sir, really, that's not necessary. I understand why you would be upset… I… failed to protect the General…" he said lowering his head.

"No. You didn't fail. Master Lawris saved you for a reason. You're worth something. Don't forget that," Clayne told him. Zero lifted his head up and looked at the padawan through his visor.

"Worth _what_?" he asked. Clayne took a moment and narrowed his eyes in thought.

"_Something_," Clayne said in a definitive tone. He wasn't sure what either, but he believed in the force and he believed in his Master. He gave him a solid pat on the shoulder and then walked past him. Zero turned around and let Clayne walk ahead of him a few strides before following after him.

**Destroyed School Building: Outside Base Camp**

"You are sick, ner vod. You are sick. This area…" Tak moved his arms around "… use to be a school, for children… and that swing you're sitting in… belonged to them," Tak told Clack. Tak stood with his hands on his hips and watched Clack swing back and forth in a swing that was too small for him. The chain on the swing squeaked while Clack looked back at his brother. There was a long silence.

"I'm ten."

"GET YOUR SHEBS OUT OF THE SWING!' Tak shouted. Champ ran over and covered Tak's mouthpiece and shushed him. Tak slapped at Champ's plates and helmet to get him off.

"Remember what the commander said? There could be separatist spies out here…" Champ reminded him. Tak let his arms go limp to his sides.

Sprocket watched Tak, Champ, and Clack upside down from the metal bars. Next to him, in the play set tower, Headshot scoped the area with his sniper rifle.

"They evacuated this place, right?" Sprocket asked. He looked a little sick. Then again, it was hard to look comfortable hanging upside down.

"Intel says that the Separatists only targeted our command posts and government buildings. Most of the causalities were ours. They evacuated the city shortly after," Headshot answered him.

"But, there's still people here according to intel too. So why did they stay behind?" Sprocket asked another question.

"Maybe because they're all separatists," Headshot said.

"Maybe… I don't know. This place doesn't seem half bad."

"Sprock… this place is leveled. Maybe you shouldn't be hanging upside down anymore."

"That's not what I mean. What I mean is maybe they just didn't want to leave their homes. Maybe there was something worth staying here for. Or maybe they had nowhere else to go. Or no reason to go," Sprocket explained. Headshot lowered his rifle and looked down and over his shoulder at Sprocket. Did his brother know something he didn't?

"I watched a holovid once about refugees and stuff. I wonder how much of it is actually true. I bet they don't look attractive, that's for sure. Because I don't feel attractive after a week without bathing," Sprocket said. Headshot didn't look away from the other clone. So maybe Sprocket wasn't really as deep a thinker. At least he didn't believe everything that happened in holovids. But something else was bothering him now.

"You went a week without bathing?"

"I was younger, I was afraid that I'd get attacked in my sleep so I didn't take my armor off for a week. I grew out of it," Sprocket said as he grabbed the metal bar he hung his legs from with his hands. He took his legs off of the bar and let his them drop to the ground while he hung onto the bar.

"Nobody noticed," he said. Headshot was reminded of Buzz, the clone with the twitch, and looked away from Sprocket and through the scope again.

"It's okay…" Headshot thought of Veer and how he had stayed with Buzz regardless of how exhausted he was. Maybe he should be more concerned about his brothers. If they didn't look out for each other, who would?

"If there's anything you want to talk about… you can talk to me…" Headshot said. Sprocket was quiet for a moment.

"Do you think it's true that General Ramseur goes to bars and sleeps with women?"

"Fierfek, I don't know," Headshot wished he hadn't told Sprocket to talk to him about _anything._

"Thanks for not laughing at me, ner vod…" Sprocket said.

"Shut up," Headshot replied. Sprocket smirked and laughed a little to himself.

"Hey Baldies," Champ was standing near them tapping out his helmet with his fist.

"We're being called back to Base Camp," he told Headshot and Sprocket since neither had their helmet on.

"Did they find him?" Sprocket asked, referring to General Ramseur. Champ shook his head.

"No, General Ga'ni doesn't think it's a good idea having us wander around at night. Something about the refugees getting spooked and attacking us… Anyway, neither the General or Commander Kala sense that General Ramseur's in any danger… did you see anything from up there Shoty?" Champ asked.

"Not really… it's not a very high tower," Headshot said remarking about the three-foot tall tower. Champ nodded.

"Yeah… well let's head back before it gets dark."

**Base Camp**

"Commander Fly has a real good hand. He's going to call Commander Kala's bluff."

"I don't know about that… it looks like he's sweatin'…"

"Come on Commander Fly… you have to know there's no way she can beat your hand."

There was silence on the com channel for a moment and then a loud cheer and cursing.

"You always bet on the Jedi, Punt! Always!"

"Right, I'll just owe you another 100 credits."

"I'll be rich one day when you finally pay me back."

"Yeah yeah- Sh Shhh, Commander Muro's coming."

Two troopers stood rigidly at attention across from the tent Commander Fly and Lyda were playing sabacc in.

"Messer! Punt! Have you seen Commander Inada? The General's wondering where she's gone off to," Muro asked the two. He looked them up and down through his helmet. He looked behind them and saw Commander Fly hitting the table with his fist as Lyda won another round of sabacc.

"Is that… Commander Fly?"

"Yes sir!" the troopers both replied. Muro focused on Fly for a moment. Fly didn't seem to be enjoying the game but even so Muro longed for a moment to be playing cards. But work always came first. He moved his head so he was focusing on the two troopers.

"Sir! I heard she organized a limmie tournament," Messer, a trooper with red horizontal lines going down his arms said.

"A limmie tournament?"

"'Something to keep the Troopers entertained' she said," Punt replied. Muro relaxed a little, and so did Punt and Messer. Not as much as their commanding officer though.

"She would do something like that, wouldn't she?" he said, almost like he was chatting with the two. Messer and Punt looked at each other but didn't move their heads.

"Yes, she would, sir," Punt answered hesitantly. Muro straightened his posture and so did the two troopers.

"Well, _where_ is she?"

"That way sir!" Messer replied pointing off to his right.

"Purple Twi'lek surrounded by the white armored men. Can't miss her," Punt added.

"Right…" Muro replied as he walked away. Messer and Punt watched as the Commander walked off and then looked back at each other and relaxed again. Just as they did, Commander Fly stormed by them holding his helmet under his arm. He felt the hair on his face that was longer than usual and muttered about how he needed to shave. The two troopers straightened their postures again for the brief second Fly noticed them.

"Hey you two," a girl's voice called out to them. Messer and Punt slowly looked over their shoulders at Master Ramseur's Padawan and then turned their bodies around to face her.

"Up for a game of cards?" she asked as she shuffled the cards with the force and grinned.

---

Muro looked at his list of things to do on his datapad.

Find General Ramseur: No Progress

Check on the wounded: Completed

Make sure men get food and rest: Completed

Get men to check equipment: Work in Progress

Find Commander Inada: Work in Progress

Organization was the most important things other than a fully charged firearm and tightly sealed armor in Muro's experience. That and a working Heads-up Display. Muro's HUD flashed and he looked up from his datapad and felt his heart stop for a moment. They were under attack? Where was the enemy? He noticed a round flying object hurdling towards him. There was no time to dodge so he instinctively braced himself for impact.

It hit him right in the T-visor and then bounced down to the ground. Muro sorted himself. He was okay. He looked down at his feet and saw a beat up limmie ball. The commander picked it up and held it up in the air. He looked over at two groups of Troopers. His own men, in red and white, and Kilik's men in blue and white. They stayed frozen, unsure if they should run away or face their superior's wrath.

"All right, whose is this?!" he asked looking back and forth from each team. He noticed a flash of purple and focused in on the young Twi'lek running towards him.

"Sorry Commander! It was a very intense point. Good thing you were wearing your helmet," Sennia said after she had come up to him. She turned back around and looked back at one of her commanders.

"Gaato! Who receives the penalty for hitting Commander Muro in the head?" she asked. Commander Gaato stood in the middle of the limmie field.

"The ball was hit out by the Blue Team to keep the Red Team from scoring a point," Gaato replied. Over on one of the sidelines, Sennia's other commander, Hugh, was remaking one of the dirt lines that made up the limmie field.

"Penalty, Blue Team," Gaato added. There was a chorus of groans from the Blue Team followed by several apologies to Commander Muro. The Red Team immediately cheered and threatened the Blue Team to never hit their commander again.

"All right, Hugh! Is the line fixed?" Sennia called over to her other commander

"Yes commander!" he answered. Sennia turned back around and faced Muro.

"Well Muro, throw the ball back in. You are on the Red Team after all," she said with a smile. Muro's helmet stayed on her face for a moment, and then turned to look at his men on the limmie field. He looked around to see who was the most accessible and tossed the ball back in. The game went on and he watched it with Sennia standing next to him.

"Of all things, limmie, commander?" he asked her.

"Commander Gaato and Hugh are huge fans and I thought 'we have plenty of people to form teams, why not try it?'" Sennia explained. She lowered her head a little and went on.

"We barely have any time for anything other than resting, fighting, and making sure we're ready for whatever comes next. But we have time now so we shouldn't waste it," she told him. Muro took off his helmet. He chuckled and smiled.

"Now that you put it that way, I guess I can't order them all to stop and check their equipment," He told her. Sennia turned and looked back and up at him and smiled.


End file.
